Global Art Exchange

Our Global Art Exchange is a new program for K-12 participants! In this one-to-one exchange American students engage in artistic peacebuilding by sharing handmade, heartfelt artwork with kids from countries that are culturally very different from the USA. Currently we are exchanging with youth from Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Nigeria.

The Children

The children on the other end of the exchange are from countries that we usually only hear about from headlines and that most children in the U.S. will never get to experience. By connecting children from different cultures in a heartfelt, personal way, the exchange means to humanize all sides and promote intercultural awareness. We want to show everyone involved that there are real, loving, wonderful children living in countries all over the world. Although we live in very different situations, we are all more alike than not.

The Process

We ask each foreign child to create a drawing or painting based on themes of happiness, peace, kindness, and friendship to share with a child in America. Then we match American students with each child abroad so that they can respond with their own meaningful creation. To make the exchange even more personal, every child writes their first name and age, attaches a photo, and a traces an outline of their hand on the back of their artwork. Once students in the US finish, we mail them the artwork from the children abroad. Then, we deliver their artwork to the children abroad to complete the exchange.

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K-12 Teachers

Are you a K-12 teacher interested in involving your students in our Global Art Exchange? We'd love to work with you!